THE INVASION OF SOKOTO AIRPORT RUNWAY
The authorities should ensure that the airports are safe and secure
In yet another disgraceful breach of security to score cheap political point, loyalists and supporters of the former governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamakko last Friday invaded the restricted area and the runway of the Sultan Abubakar 111 International Airport, Sokoto. Video evidence now in circulation reveals that the safety of aircraft that brought Wamakko, currently a senator representing Sokoto North, was also threatened as the pilot of the flight had to take protective measures by not landing at the apron of the airport which was already crowded by supporters.
Immediately the aircraft landed, supporters of the politician, including hundreds on motorbike riders had already forced their way into the runway, speeding freely towards the aircraft that was taxing to the tarmac. More troubling is that Wamakko’s supporters were allowed the security breach for his homecoming by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to which he belongs, following the defection from the party to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by Governor Aminu Tambuwal.
This is condemnable as it reveals the extent that the security agencies in the country have been compromised by political partisanship. This is not the first time political supporters have invaded the airside of the airports in Nigeria. During the last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, supporters of the present governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and that of his political rival, the current Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi had on several occasions invaded the airside of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa during the build-up to the 2015 election.
From the easy access of the political supporters to the airside of the Sokoto airport, it is obvious that the facility is not fully protected. Yet after the September 11 attacks in 2001 in the United States of America, it became the standard of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that every airport should have both security and perimeter fences. What any easy access of unwanted persons to the restricted areas of the airport indicates is that such airports are not secure and are exposed to breaches which could be dangerous for passengers.
We are aware that the Sokoto airport has some peculiarities that make it susceptible to such invasion. That explains why Wamakko’s supporters could easily push down part of the fence to gain entry to the airside of the airport despite the presence of about 30 security personnel from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Aviation Security (AVSEC). But this penchant to invade airports by political supporters has become a national security problem which must be tackled decisively in order to avert possible disaster in future.
Indeed, it is a crying shame that most of the airports in the country do not have comprehensive security and perimeter fences, including that of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, certified last year by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). To stop further invasion, those who manage the airports across the country should talk to the political and traditional leaders so that they will agree on designated areas where their supporters can wait for them. FAAN should also reinforce efforts to protect vulnerable and valuable areas of the airport to ensure they are not accessed by unwarranted persons.
The Sokoto incident has again helped to expose how porous Nigerian airports are, as stowaways are known to gain access to the airport restricted areas and hide in airplanes that take them mostly to their tragic end. The insecurity also raises the question of priorities in the aviation industry: whether it is more important to secure the airports or to establish a national carrier.
WHAT ANY EASY ACCESS OF UNWANTED PERSONS TO THE RESTRICTED AREAS OF THE AIRPORT INDICATES IS THAT SUCH AIRPORTS ARE NOT SECURE AND ARE EXPOSED TO BREACHES